Most Popular People Born In "Tokyo/ Japan"

Hayao MiyazakiDirector, Spirited AwayHayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's greatest animation directors. The entertaining plots, compelling characters, and breathtaking animation in his films have earned him international renown from critics as well as public recognition within Japan. The Walt Disney Company's commitment to introduce the films...

Hiroyuki SanadaActor, The WolverineHiroyuki Sanada was born on the 12th of October, 1960 in Tokyo. He made his film debut when he was 5 in Game of Chance (Shin'ichi Chiba played the lead role.) Sanada's father died when he was 11. Sanada joined Japan Action Club, organized and run by Sonny Chiba, when he was 12. Sanada first became famous as an action star for his role in The Shogun's Samurai...

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Olivia de HavillandActress, The Adventures of Robin HoodOlivia Mary de Havilland was born July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents Lilian Augusta (Ruse), a former actress, and Walter Augustus de Havilland, an English professor and patent attorney. Her sister, Joan, later to become famous as Joan Fontaine, was born the following year. Her surname comes from her paternal grandfather...

5.

Akira KurosawaWriter, YojimboAfter training as a painter (he storyboards his films as full-scale paintings), Kurosawa entered the film industry in 1936 as an assistant director, eventually making his directorial debut with Sanshiro Sugata. Within a few years, Kurosawa had achieved sufficient stature to allow him greater creative freedom...

Cary-Hiroyuki TagawaActor, Hachi: A Dog's TaleCary-Hiroyuki Tagawa got his first big break as an actor when he was cast in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor. A US Army brat, he was born in Tokyo and lived in various cities while growing up. His father was in the army, stationed at Ft. Bragg (NC), Ft. Polk (LA) and Ft. Hood (TX). His mother was an actress from Tokyo...

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Liv UllmannActress, PersonaLiv Ullmann's father was a Norwegian engineer who used to work abroad, so as a child she lived in Tokyo, Canada, New York and Oslo. In the mid-'50s she made her stage debut and in 1957 made her film debut. She really became successful, however, when she began to work for Swedish director Ingmar Bergman in such films as Persona...

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Joan FontaineActress, RebeccaBorn Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland on October 22, 1917, in Tokyo, Japan, in what was known as the International Settlement. Her father was a British patent attorney with a lucrative practice in Japan, but due to Joan and older sister Olivia de Havilland's recurring ailments the family moved to California in the hopes of improving their health...

10.

Ko ShibasakiActress, 47 RoninKou Shibasaki was born on the 5th august 1981 in Tokyo, her real name is Yukie Yamamura (Shibasaki Kou it's a main character of her favorite manga). She started her career at 14 when her talent was discovered by a star agent. She has worked in many TV shows and commercials. She's beginning to be more...

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Takeshi KitanoActor, ZatoichiTakeshi Kitano was born in Tokyo in 1947 and entered show business in 1972 as "Beat" Takeshi, the stage name he continues to use today as a performer. As part of the comic duo Two Beats, Kitano was one of the leading figures in the manzai (stand-up comedy) boom in the late 1970s. With his distinctive art of speech and his idiosyncratic perspective...

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Franklin J. SchaffnerDirector, Planet of the ApesFranklin J. Schaffner was one of the most innovative creative minds in the early days of American network television, utilizing a moving camera in the days when most television directors kept the camera static. His eye for visuals was developed in the dozens of live television programs he directed on prestigious shows such as Studio One in Hollywood and Playhouse 90...

13.

Togo IgawaActor, Memoirs of a GeishaTogo Igawa is an actor/director living in England. He trained in Japan at The Haiyuza Theatre Company Acting School and Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music. In 1986, he became the first Japanese actor to become a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His work spans stage, film, anime, games and television...

Yoko OnoSelf, Imagine: John LennonYoko Ono was born on February 18, 1933, in her ancestral estate in Tokyo. Her father, named Eisuke Ono, was the descendant of a 9th Century Emperor of Japan. Her mother, named Isoko Yasuda Ono, was the granddaughter of Zenijiro Yasuda, the founder of Yasuda Bank. Yoko was 2 years old when she was brought to California...

Shô KosugiMiscellaneous Crew, Black EagleEasily the best known actor/martial artist during the 1980s ninja cinema craze, Kosugi was a proficient martial artist & skilled weapons performer which was highlighted in his several starring roles. Kosugi grew up as the youngest child and only son of a Tokyo fisherman, and began his martial arts training at the age of five studying karate at a local dojo...

Yasujirô OzuDirector, Tokyo StoryTokyo-born Yasujiro Ozu was a movie buff from childhood, often playing hooky from school in order to see Hollywood movies in his local theatre. In 1923 he landed a job as a camera assistant at Shochiku Studios in Tokyo. Three years later, he was made an assistant director and directed his first film the next year...

20.

Jin AkanishiActor, 47 RoninNot only is Jin an actor, he is also still a solo artist - aka singer in Japan who works under Warner Music Japan Group and Johnny Entertainment. He has performed overseas too - in North America in 5 cities last year for his American album - Japonicana. He also released two #1 North American iTunes singles - Test Drive ft Jason Derulo and Sun Burns Down respectively...

21.

Haruka AbeActress, 47 RoninHaruka Abe is an Anglo-Japanese actress based in London, United Kingdom. Born in Tokyo, Haruka spent her childhood split between New York, London and Tokyo, moving between the three cities with her family. Aged 8 she decided to try acting and at age 9 she played Bilbo Baggins in her school play adaptation of The Hobbit...

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Tatsuya NakadaiActor, RanJapanese leading man, an important star and one of the handful of Japanese actors well known outside Japan. Nakadai was a tall handsome clerk in a Tokyo shop when director Masaki Kobayashi encountered him and cast him in Kabe atsuki heya. Nakadai was subsequently cast in the lead role in Kobayashi's monumental...

Hirokazu KoreedaDirector, Still WalkingBorn in Tokyo in 1962. Originally intended to be a novelist, but after graduating from Waseda University in 1987 went on to become an assistant director at T.V. Man Union. Snuck off set to film _Lessons from a Calf (1991)_. His first feature, Maborosi, based on a Teru Miyamoto novel and drawn from his own experiences while filming _August Without Him (1994)_...

25.

Goro MiyazakiDirector, Tales from EarthseaGraduated from Shinshu University, Faculty of Agriculture, Goro Miyazaki started his career as a construction consultant, and he designed parks or public institutions. Because his father, Hayao Miyazaki, is a world-famous filmmaker, he always had complex feeling towards his father. He decided not to work for anything related to animation...

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Mie HamaActress, You Only Live TwiceMie Hama was born in Tokyo, Japan on November 20, 1943. She first started out working as a bus fare collector. While working, she was spotted by producer Tomoyuki Tanaka , and was soon employed at Toho Studios. She appeared in a bevy of drama and sci-fi films, including King Kong vs. Godzilla, where she became...

Kenji MizoguchiDirector, UgetsuComing from a lower class family Mizoguchi entered the production company Nikkatsu as an actor specialized in female roles. Later he became an assistant director and made his first film in 1922. Although he filmed almost 90 movies in the silent era, only his last 12 productions are really known outside of Japan because they were especially produced for Venice (e.g...

Hideo KojimaWriter, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterHideo Kojima was born August 24th, 1963 in Setagaya, Tokyo, later moving to Kobe and growing up there. His love of Americana gave him his major two interests of writing and creating film, which are the causes of why he is so well known today. During the mid 1980's, his interests pushed him to pursue looking for a career in film making...

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Takako FujiActress, The GrudgeBorn in Tokyo on July 27th 1972, Takako Fuji started her career when she joined En Theatrical Campany when she was studying acting at Aoyama Gakuin University. She was mainly playing on the stage or voice-over, and had the screen debut in 2003 as Kayako Saeki in "Ju-On" directed by Takashi Shimizu. Her specialty is dancing modern ballet, and speaking English.

Hal YamanouchiActor, The WolverineScholastically sound and versed in several languages, Hal Yamanouchi has not lacked for work or means to keep busy. Born in Japan, his collegiate years were dedicated to studying language and literature. He attended the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies as well as the Perugia (Italy) University of Foreign Languages...

Aya UetoActress, AzumiBorn in Tokyo, Japan in 1985, Aya Ueto received her first break in August 1997 when, at the age of 11, she won the Special Jury Prize at the 7th All-Japan Bishoujo Contest. After this initial success, she tried her hand at both acting and singing, appearing in various minor TV drama roles, as well as a low budget action movie...

Shôhei ImamuraDirector, The EelShohei Imamura's films dig beneath the surface of Japanese society to reveal a wellspring of sensual, often irrational, energy that lies beneath. Along with his colleagues Nagisa Ôshima and Masahiro Shinoda, Imamura began his serious directorial career as a member of the New Wave movement in Japan...